Shoulder Room

The HV in the L.L.Bean Mountain Light HV 2 Tent stands for high volume. Indeed, the floor area is almost 34 square feet, four more than most tents in the two-person backpacking category. The perfect rectangular tent floor is 54 inches wide, four more than most competitors. Peak height hits 43 inches, a couple above average. The pole structure pulls the walls towards vertical, adding extra elbow room and the vestibules are huge – almost 11 square feet in each. It all adds up to plenty of room for two big guys to wait out a day of pounding rain. This is one of the largest tents in its category.

Packability

At five pounds L.L.Bean Mountain Light HV 2 Tent is not a particularly light tent for backpacking these days. But it’s also not overweight. The extra volume obviously adds to the weight. As does stout fabric choices. But it does pack fairly small compared to other tents that weigh the same, so we give it a bonus mark there.

Set Up

The L.L.Bean Mountain Light HV 2 Tent is a symmetrical tent. With eight legs, the single pole design is a bit ungainly to maneuver. A “top” marking on the pole and the symmetrical design of the tent makes it easy to figure out how to position it. Once assembled and in place, the tent goes up fast. With clips to hang the tent, it goes up fast. The symmetrical fly is easy to position and secure.

Weatherproof

L.L.Bean equipped the Mountain Light HV 2 Tent with a solid selection of fabrics: 70-Denier nylon on the floor and 68-Denier on the fly. Both proved to be highly waterproof in a full day drenching and with a small river running under the tent. The whole package cinches down snug. In a howling wind one night the tent barely flapped.

Features

Two big vestibules score big points for us, creating a ton of extra space for storage and maneuvering in an out of the tent. We also liked the versatile fly design. Fly doors roll up and out of the way like an awning, which also helps with getting in and out of the tent. And the fly can roll back from the head or foot to vent on hot days or for star gazing.